An Introduction to eSmart

The eSmart Schools Program was developed by the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, “a national charity with the belief that all children should have a safe and happy childhood without being subjected to any form of violence.” One of its main purposes is dealing with threat of cyber-bullying and child safety from the ground up. Instead of being reactive, the aim is to be proactive from day one.

The goal is to develop a clear framework that sets in place a range of practises and policies that hopefully means that if there are problems they are responded to in an appropriate manner. All in all there are six domains that make up the framework which all work towards the smart, safe and responsible use of technology.

School Organisation – this includes the regular collection of data and a committee to monitor the eSmart progress

Plans and Policy – this includes strategies to support behaviour management and organising acceptable user agreements

School Community – this includes fostering school values and the opportunity for cross-age interactions

Teacher Practises – this includes digital pedagogies and the appropriate integration within learning

Curriculum – this includes incorporating aspects such as cybersafety and other eSmart issues

Community Partnerships – this includes engaging parent involvement and making various community links

One of the biggest challenges is how to best include the various aspects within their own practise. Some questions that you should consider are:

What steps would you take if you saw something in class or were informed of something by a student?

How do you incorporate technology within your classroom?

Do you use technology in anyway to connect and communicate with parents?

What support do you feel that you require in regards to digital pedagogies?

So there it is, an introduction, what about you, what questions do you have? As always, I would love to know.